


Four Kingdoms

by Anifairy



Category: Original Work
Genre: Age Difference, Angst, Cheating, Coming of Age, Explicit Language, F/M, Falling In Love, First Love, Implied Sexual Content, Kinda, Love Triangles, Multi, Multiple Pairings, Racism, Sexual Content, Unrequited Love, Violence, a lot of characters, later on tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 16:25:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,815
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15777753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anifairy/pseuds/Anifairy
Summary: Arin Bastard is a stupid name for a little girl in Outlaw. A "kingdom" where the royals from the four kingdoms dump all their criminals and rejects. Now, to put it briefly, the four kingdoms has their race and traits, it is looked down upon to be mixed with two or more kingdoms race. Those who are mixed are simply seen as rejects and are placed in Outlaw. Unfortunate for Arin is mixed with three kingdoms. However, when the kingdoms are having a declining population, it is decided to accept these mixed children from Outlaw. How would Arin adjust to the citizens who see her as inferior? Who will she meet, love?The rating might go up after a couple of chapters, just a warning.





	Four Kingdoms

The used potato sack was scratching the young Bastard's back, but it was the only cover between her and the cold ground that was once covered in shit and the blood of people that she didn't know nor cared of. She was lucky to have found a place where only the smell lingered, but the source was washed away by the rain moments ago. For now, she needs to only worry about the cold wind that blows constantly. The sound of rotting wood rattling from the building's structure was the main muse of the night. 

Between the blacksmiths and the farmer family's house, she can only see a strip of stars from above. Some of the common folk would think that the alleys are the worst place in this part of the land. Really, though, nowhere is safe in this place called Outlaw (very creative name, she thinks sarcastically). People are killed on the streets like it's the norm, and no one cares except for people close to them, even that is rare in Outlaw. 

For someone like her, her goals are marrying someone with a decent amount of gold or become a prostitute and rise in the profession and become the pimp. Becoming a pimp is difficult and for her, it's even impossible, already being a Mixed lowers the chances of ever getting married in the first place.

Outlaw has no recognition for the elements like the four kingdoms, it's all mixed with all four elements since all criminals and outcasts come from all around Vairess. So people here just fuck like rabbits, no care for the baby nor their Mixed status. There are many Mixed in Outlaw, but most end up dead before adulthood from 'mysteries' circumstances. Killed. They're killed by random anti-Mixed citizens, become an entertainer for the rich, or simply sail across the sea to a land that is only filled with sand. No one goes there to live a wholesome life, only the means to escape the treatment in Vairess. 

If you haven't figured it out yet, the Bastard, formally named; Arin Bastard is a Mixed. Not even a regular Mixed, when a person is made up of two elements,  she's a mutt. She's made up of three elements: fire, water, and earth. How can she tell, even though she never met her parents? Her looks. Every Kingdom has their own distinct look. She doesn't know the fine details, but for now, she knows that she has the grey eyes of the earth kingdom, Terra, the black hair from the fire kingdom, Kegan, and the olive skin of the water kingdom, Muriel.

And to make her existence even more worthless is that she's a Bastard, hence the name Arin Bastard, since all bastards must have the actual word bastard in their name.  She does have a theory of who are her parents, a citizen from one of the kingdoms, except for wind kingdom: Anemos, and an already Mixed. She likes to think how a Mixed and a citizen get together, like a love story, though it's most likely that the citizen is a criminal and the Mixed was just from Outlaw. 

Nothing really special happens here except when a new leader is declared. Yes, they select a leader in Outlaw, at least so no one kills each other to the point of extinction which is what the land of Vairess wants initially. Though being the leader is pretty much a joke in all the land, even in Outlaw. 

Arin started to count the stars in the sky to make her sleep. She made it up to 143 stars and finally felt drowsy. This leaves her to fall into a deep bliss that is sleep.

A clank of a tray woke Arin up from her dreamless sleep. She knew it was the farmer's son, who was the same age as her. His crush is obvious to her, but he never talks to her, only gives her food every morning from his leftover dinner. It's always a silent exchange between them too. She can admit that he is kinda cute, definitely from Kegan with his golden skin, black hair and black eyes that are cutely shaped like almonds. 

She sits up to bring the tray into her lap, she looks up at Zachary, who smiled shyly at her before going around to his house before his mother comes looking for him. Arin might as well get him something as her way of saying thanks. What can a 10-year-old get with no money in Outlaw? Anything is possible if they have the skills necessary to do so, which she has.

She ate the contents on the tray: a piece of bread, a boiled egg and a slice of ham. Small, but for-filling for Arin, at least till nightfall. She got up with the tray still in hand, walked down the alley, then turned left toward the farmer's house. She puts down the tray next to the door and walks back to the alleyway once she realized that she forgot her potato sack. 

Nothing, nothing but an empty alleyway. She wanted to slap herself for leaving her sack there even for a second. Right on cue, she spots a running figure out of the corner of her eye. A little kid running with her sack. She could chase the kid down, but wasn't really feeling it now, she just woke up after all.

She turns the opposite way and starts her day.  She walks right in the middle of the street as mothers pour buckets of human waste out of the windows and out on the streets. Arin spots a clothing line above a balcony on the second floor of what seemed to be a decent home. 

Pretty dumb to leave them out in the open. Pretty obvious. It's a trap. The balcony doors are slightly open with someone waiting inside to grab a gullible kid. The clothes are pretty much a red flag with a brand new looking fur coat, a wool dress along with a wool shirt and pants. The last touch being a pair of shoes on the balcony railing. 

Arin looks down at her own clothes, a torn up dress made with bed sheets and covered in slop that she rather not know. Also with fall turning to winter soon, she needs a coat. Her shoes are fine though since she stole some from another trap yesterday.  However, those shoes would be perfect for the farmer's son who has to tend to the fields every day. She probably has two seconds at least to get the clothes before the guys jump out.

A cart filled with barrels of what is assumed to be a variety of alcohol rests in front of the decent house, but not directly under the balcony. She notices that the windows have hanging pottery, but no flowers in them. Seems easy enough. 

She makes her way to the cart and climbs it to the highest barrel. A hanging flower-pot dangles above her and she jumps to grab it. She swings with the pot but doesn't wait for it to be still as she uses both hands to climb it and grab the chain supporting it. She climbs up to the point that her foot rests on the rim of the pot. She tries not put all of her weight on it since it seems to be made of clay. She swings with the chain so she can try to grab the other pot diagonally above her. After a couple of swings, she realizes that she can never make it. Making the highest swing, she jumps and barely grabs the pot by one hand. The sudden force made the clay pot crack on the side, a ripple effect started as the rest of the pot is cracking under the pressure of her weight. Arin holds her breath as she hurriedly climbs the chain. She made it, but once her foot set to rest on the rim, it broke. Arin gasps as she tries to hold tight on one the chain without any support for her feet. Shattering even more as it hits the ground, the clay made a loud crash that made Arin winced. She looks forward at the balcony trying to see if the people inside noticed, she then noted her own stupidity when she realized that the noise blended in as the bustling people start to pour out of their houses. She also doesn't see anyone by the doors from her angle of view. With one hand still holding her weight, she grabs the clothing line right next to her, trying not to make sudden moves. Quickly, she let's go of the chain and swings with the clothing line to the other side of the balcony. She hears someone curse from the inside, but she still uses one hand to grab the nice shoes as she swings down. She lands on the ground with a roll as the clothing line broke from her weight. Without hesitation, she gathers up the clothes in her arms and runs down the street, while a group of men bursts out of the door and curses after her. Still, they never tried to catch her as she's already a great distance away from them. 

She still kept running till she made to her workplace. Yes, she has a job, but it was a very low paying one. The tavern wasn't open yet, but the doors were unlocked so she quickly went in. 

The tavern's wife squealed, nearly dropping the glass she was cleaning. She realizes that it was only Arin and huffs, putting her hands on her hips.

"You almost gave me a heart attack, Arin!", she yells, sounding like a dying cat.

Arin ignores her as she sets down the clothes and shoes on the table, trying to catch her breath. She takes a stool from underneath the table and sits down putting her head down on the clothes. She wasn't in the mood for Louise's barking, she wants to bask in her triumph for her new clothes and a free gift for Zachary. Only took her about five minutes and she only woke up ten minutes ago. A great start to the day. She chuckles, remembering the faces of the men when they realized that they lost to a little girl. 

Louise, taverns owner's wife, rolled her eyes and continued to clean the glasses, preparing for the night to come. 

The tavern is the nicest in Outlaw, according to the drunken costumers, Arin doesn't take her time going to taverns. The real name is Mystic Tavern, ironically owned by a pacifist who also is not a drinker. The place is made up of two stories, but only the first floor is the real tavern. The second floor is the home of the Tavern's family: a wife, and two kids. The family is descendants of Terra with their green eyes (except for the owner who has grey eyes), chestnut hair and tan skin. The tavern is usually clean with its stone floor and walls,  a small bar that is only meant for the bartender to serve. A limited amount of food is for sale along with a drink, meaning that the only people who can afford to be here are the high-profile criminals who gain riches from being in Outlaw. 

Arin hears a door opening from above and hurried steps heading downstairs. Joseph and Mercy were off to Terra to get an education. Their father is a good man in the eyes of Outlaw and even in Terra meaning that his children are allowed a pathway to get out of Outlaw, that pathway being education. 

Joseph is a rather stupid kid, who takes the liking of human gas, the sound, and the smell, as a source of comedy. His attention span is very short, you find him attempting to read a book, look away for a second and he's playing with it as a bird. He's fat from always eating the potatoes that his mother hides from him. He's a lucky son of a bitch.

Mercy is so easy to take advantage, coming from experience, Arin thought. She's older than Arin but follows Arin as if it's the other way around. She's not bad-looking, but nothing really special about her. She is extremely shy and insecure, in need of affection to be happy. In Arin's opinion, she's weak. Mercy also has a weak spot for men, as a thirteen-year-old, her main attention is boys. She can barely speak to one without Arin's help. However, she is caring and her goal is to get her family out of Outlaw. So she is smart, but only book smart as her feeling gets in her way.

Joseph and Mercy make their way to the bar and Louise gives them a piece of toast with a berry jam on top. They said bye to their mother and waved to Arin, who lazily waved back. It would usually take them thirty minutes to get to Terra and another thirty by train to get to the academy. 

"Arin, can you get the rum from the back?  Lord Henry is coming with his entourage so we need the extra liquor." Louise asked.

Arin sighed, but gathered up the clothes and headed to the revolving doors that led to the back of the tavern. The back is filled of ingredients and alcohol, along with a bucket for washing, since cleanliness is encouraged among workers while working to create the illusion that the tavern was high-class. 

Arin sets the clothes on top of the beet crate, she decides to wash so she can wear the new clothes. She went to the large bucket and saw that Louise already filled it up with water. Arin likes being the first one to take a bath since all workers take a bath in the same bucket. Arin took off her clothes and threw them to a random place, pretty much discarding them. 

She quickly washes her body with the washcloth before anyone comes in. Still dripping wet, she walks out of the bucket and makes her way to the new batch of clothes. She squeezes the water out of her hair before she slipped on the wool shirt and pants and decides to save the dress for a better time since she's on watch duty for the week. She hides the rest of the clothes in the beet crate because today's special is chicken soup so no beets are needed for tonight. She puts on her shoes, and goes looks around the back, searching for the rum. She found it in the corner and rolled it to the bar. 

Rob, the owner, was already preparing the ingredients for the special. He's called the best cook in Outlaw since his father was actually a chef in Terra before he's caught poisoning nobles with his great food. Rob was a good man who hates his father and made his own business, getting a wife who was a former whore and becoming one of the most respected men in Outlaw. To him, criminal clans mean nothing to him, so everyone is welcomed. 

"Morning Rob," Arin said when she rolled the barrel under the bar.

"Morn to you too, Arin," he answered back, cutting up the carrots for soup. He glances at her and notices the new clothes. " Eventful morning I assume."

"Yep, didn't know what hit them." She tugs at her shirt and grins with glee.

"You know, if you ever nee-"

"No, I'm fine. Thanks" Her smile dropped. She hates being dependent, especially to Rob. You can never survive in Outlaw by being dependent on others.

Rob sighed, frustrated with Arin's predicament. Though he dropped it and continued on with the carrots. 

"Anyway, what's my place tonight?" Arin asked, putting her hands in the pants pockets. 

"Bird's eye" was all he said. 

Arin rolled her eyes, getting the semi-silent treatment is the usual, but annoying. She makes her way to the stairway, going up and to the balcony railing. She climbs it, putting her leg over the railing and carefully stand up. She balances on the middle of her feet, looking out to the bar. Rob, now mixing the soup, Louise, cleaning table, and other workers coming through the front door.  

She looks up, seeing the ceiling beams, then she grabs the one right above her. Climbing up, she puts her legs on the beam then slowly roll over. Making it above the beam, then crawling to the middle of the bar, she is laying on her stomach as she watches the bar. 

Really, her job doesn't start until the afternoon, when the bar opens, so she decides to take a nap while she waits for the city bell to ring at twelve o'clock.

A ringing in her ears wakes her up.

Twelve o'clock.

Arin sighed, but stayed in her place with only her head moving to supervise the bar. Right now, there are only the family men who want a drink and lunch before going to work in labor. Outlaw is only capable to have a certain amount of jobs, all in the field of labor. A safe way to get money, but a low amount of money. They are the people who make the roads, plumbing etc. in the four kingdoms. Pretty much the jobs that no one wants.

Nothing really happens at this time, just regular people looking for a meal. The only thing that could happen is a robbery, but no one is stupid enough to do so. Rob hires a standard amount of bodyguards, some who are strong and intimidating and some who are fast and sneaky. She was in the second group. She can catch a guy easily with her two little legs. She can only make them pass out by putting them in a choke hold while the big bodyguards get them. 

She felt the beam shake, making her grip the beam with her fingernails. She looks behind and sees the creep Oscar climbing onto the beam. She hurriedly sits up and scowls at him, which only makes him laugh. 

"Time to change positions, sweetheart." Oscar said. 

"Who said?" She asked. Someone like her should never trust someone like him. A child molester, but he got this job on the promise that he would not touch a child.

"Rob."

"Why?"

"Remember, that big boss guy is coming?"

"So? He's a regular."

"He's bringing people from Terra. Big people. Like Government people."

"You're lying." No one from the kingdoms comes here. Why would they?

"No, I'm not, actually." He said in a matter-in-fact tone.

"Why?"

"Ask Rob." 

"But why do I have to be down there?"

"You really think Rob wants a child touch-er down there?"

"True, then again whoever wants you?" Without hesitation. 

"Shut the hell up and get down before Louise starts screaming for you," Oscar said, losing his patience.

Arin didn't want to go through Oscar to get down for obvious reasons. She looks down at the bar and notices Big Bear standing right below her. Big Bear is a big guy with a big heart, a family man trying to make a living without leaving his kids alone in Outlaw. Arin thinks they are still babies since the last time she saw them was a five months ago. 

"Psst" Arin hissed down below.

Big Bear looked up. The reason Big Bear is always on the ground floor is because of his hyper hearing and intimidating stature. Big Bear looks at Arin and to Oscar, then nodded, understanding the situation. He opens his arms wide.

Arin slowly slides down the beam till she eventually loses grip and falls into Big Bear's arms. Big Bear catches her flawlessly and lets her down and gets back into place, arms crossed over his chest looking at the front door, without saying a word. A very quiet guy, Arin thought.

"Arin, hurry put this on." Louise held up a blue silk dress with lace all around it. 

Arin cringe in disgust and replied, "Why? It looks like the Queen threw up on it."

Louise sighed, obviously fed up with Arin's antics. "You know what, I'll take that as a compliment since the Queen is known for her style. Now, wear this. Nobles from Terra are coming within the next hour and everyone on the ground floor has to be dressed their best."

"But I was in Bird's eye position, why am I down here?"

"Because we need to seem family friendly, having children around, makes it seem more that way. Now, no more stalling and put this on." She pushed the dress into Arin's arms and hurried away.

Arin huffed in annoyance and made her way to the back room. What so great about nobles? They only have power because they have money. They get money from the unfortunate in the form of overpriced taxes. Besides, why go to Outlaw in the first place? Nothing special happens here.

With more questions forming in her head, she put on the frilly dress. It felt soft against her skin, but she looks like a wannabe princess. She wanted to simply rip it off her body then burn it. She noticed some odd stitching at the bottom of the dress. She lifted the dress up, revealing her lower undergarments, to see the stitching. She notices that it was a word, more specifically a name. Mercy was spelled out in near perfect cursive. Must be an old dress that Louise made herself. 

Arin let's go of the dress, letting it drape to the floor. She sighed knowing she has to be out there before the nobles show up. Heading back to the main floor, Arin wondered about the nobles. There must be a reason for a sudden appearance since no other noble has shown their face in Outlaw, at least she thinks so.

"So," Arin started, "When are they coming? These nobles." she asked Rob who was frantically putting and mixing spices together for a meal that certainly wasn't on the regular menu.

"Later, when to the sun touches the horizon." He answered, facing away from his task to avoid the fumes and particles of the spices.

Arin scoffed, "If they aren't coming till way later, why am I wearing this now?" She gestured to her dress, her face scrunched in annoyance. 

Rob glanced at her and laughed before immediately coughing from the fumes, with a croak in his voice he answered: "Because you look better in that than what you were wearing before."

Arin scowled, but gave up on this conversation to avoid Rob getting another coughing fit. She looked around the tavern and noticed that business was slow today, so she took a bar stool and sat down and waited for the night that would the beginning of her journey.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comments, I love reading them. Criticism really helps me to be a better writer. Leave a kudos if you like the story thanks  
> -Ani


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